oo5// Close Contact
The doors closed behind them; a look of obvious concern was painted all over the Don’s wrinkled face. Something was bothering him, and Damien could only guess as to what would bother the head of such a powerful mafia.
“Grandfather, is everything okay?” Damien stepped away from his stiffened team, reaching out a hand in concern.
“No……nothing’s okay.” the Don’s eyes flickered back and forth across the ground before him. “I’m leaving Cormice tonight.”
“What the-“ Damien’s eyes became agitated. “Why?” he straightened himself, grudgingly ready to hear the Don’s excuse.
“I’m not safe here anymore.” the Don fidgeted in his arm chair, making the leather squeak beneath him.
“Safe?” Damien laughed at his thoughts. “There’s no place safer than right here.” he leaned in on the Don’s desk, head lowered to look at the Don directly.
“I’m not like you, Damien!” Incignio tilted his head sideways, looking out the window. “I can’t protect myself like you can. I’m just getting too old for this.”
“But you can’t leave Cormice—us! You just can’t leave the Lacrice here alone!” Damien knew what would happen if the Don left, and he was in no way prepared to take on that responsibility.
“I think you’re all ready to go on without me.” the Don fiddled with his fingers, a mannerism that Damien noticed when the Don was nervous.
“What has you so damn scared that you’re willing to just drop everything and leave us here?!” Damien pounded his fists on the hard oak.
“Damien……you must understand what kind of situations my position puts me in.” the Don looked at him squarely.
“What Don Incignio is trying to say, sir, is that there has been an attempt on his life.” one of Incignio’s bodyguards stepped out from the corner to inform Damien and his team of the current situation.
“What?” the Capo came forward, interested in who would have the gall to do such a thing. “When did this happen? Who did it? Why weren’t we informed sooner?” his inquisitive nature took over.
“I happened yesterday evening.” the Don stretched his aging hand out in front of him. “It appeared to be the Xuètŏng.” his eyes dropped.
“The Chinese Triad?” Kita stepped forward; he had had to deal with this group when he was apart of the Yakuza. “What do they want with you? Their business is totally unrelated to any of you.” his eyes dropped, searching for answers within himself.
“Yes, the infamous Triad. I’m sure you’ve dealt with them before, Kita, so you’re input is greatly appreciated.” the Don bypassed Damien, who was still standing before him, to look at Kita directly.
“But how did it happen? Were there any signs as to their motive?” the Capo kept on badgering the Don for more answers.
“We were out last night, finishing up a, eh, deal with one of our partners.” Incignio’s bodyguard informed.
“Shots were fired from my right, and Collin and Fervo here told me that it was best to stay down.” the Don motioned to the two men standing behind him. “The shots persisted, only aimed at out car.”
“Well, that tells us s**t.” Damien rolled his eyes in frustration. “For one thing, it could’ve been any weirdoes shooting at you. For another thing, are you absolutely sure that they were aiming at you? And what about these partners of yours? Are you sure you can fully trust them?” he raised his hands questionably.
“I’m gonna have to go with Damien on this one. From what I’ve heard so far, it just sounds like a second-rate gang trying to get some street cred in the big leagues.” Capo relaxed his shoulders, feeling better about the situation. “We can check it out for you, though. If you’d like.” Capo’s words were met with a hard stare from Damien; he didn’t want have to go talk to the Triad. Not at all.
“Please do. It’s the only way I can stay here in Cormice.” the Don was amused at Damien’s distaste for the Triad.
“Fine! We’ll go look into it.” Damien turned abruptly and headed for the door, only waiting a moment while the Capo bowed for the Don. Once the whole team had entered the corridor and were away from the Don, Damien began to give out orders. “Greggorrio, I really don’t want to deal with these people. Not on their turf. No way, no how.” Damien tapped on a nearby wall nervously. “Arrange something in Cormice.” he switched topics quickly. “Douvin, go……do something tactical. I don’t know what the hell it is that you do, but go do it.” he flicked his hand in a commanding way. “Kita, go gather my guns.” Damien turned and smirked at Kita. “Get me some good ones.” Damien glanced over at Luo, unsure as to what to do with her. “What do you do again?” he looked puzzled; he never bothered to know what she did, merely thinking of her as a lost child.
“Me?” Luo blushed at his sudden attention. “I’m a……scout and or……information gatherer.” she began to stutter, her eyes never leaving the floor. Damien reached his hand under her chin and gently lifted it up to face him.
“Look at me when you speak.” his eyes gentled, trying not to scare her; it would only be bothersome if he had a subordinate that truly, wholeheartedly feared him. “Talk to Capo about what to do, cause I really don’t know much in that aspect.”
“Damien’s more of a hack and slash kinda guy.” the Capo chuckled aloud.
“Yeah, well it’s worked for me this far.” Damien rolled his eyes at his old friend. He slid his arm over Luo’s shoulders and proceeded to walk down the corridor, looking as smug as ever. “Take her away, Capo.” Damien released his grip on Luo as the reached the courtyard.
“Fine.” the Capo turned to Luo. “C’mon now, we’ve gotta get a move on.” the pair hurried along to the van, obviously formulating some sort of plan.
“Finally, some peace.” Damien slumped over on a nearby bench, glad to have some solitude. He ran his fingers along the cold metal of the bench seat, propping his legs upon the sides. He remembered that last time he was sent out on a mission of this sort; go ‘negotiate’ with a pissed of Triad. Last time, only he and the Capo returned. He seemed to go through teams fairly quickly these days. Even when he was young, Damien’s violent tendencies cost more than one subordinate their life. Damien lifted his hand and laid it across his eyes, trying to block his wincing eyes.
“Damien, I’m back.” Kita’s voice sounded from behind the tall bushes that surrounded the seating area he was in. Damien removed his hand from his eyes and sighed deeply; good things never lasted long. “I….got the guns you wanted. And a little surprise for ya.” Kita tossed a large black duffle bag towards Damien, who caught it as it flew through the air.
“What kind of surprise?” Damien grinned like a little boy opening presents. He unzipped the bag as fast as his fingers would allow, pulling out a long, heavy set gun that looked like a long tube with a trigger. Damien’s eyes widened with excitement. “You got me a freaking bazooka?!” Damien ran over to Kita tackled him to the ground, ecstatic at his new toy.
“Yeah, yeah. It was just kinda laying around, so I brought it here for you.” he winked at Damien sarcastically. “Just don’t go killing me with it.” Damien stroked his new play thing over and over, watching its sleek outer shell glisten in the sunlight.
“I’m gonna have to go try this baby out…..” Damien muttered to himself, entranced in the large gun’s beauty. “Hey Kita, do you know where any new recruits are?” Kita’s face straightened, convinced that Damien had to be joking.
“No blowing up recruits.” his face grew concerned when he saw the genuine dismay on Damien’s face at this letdown. Kita’s attention was distracted by the Capo motioning for the two to head over to the waiting van.
“What the hell?” the Capo rubbed his head at the sight of Damien carrying a massive weapon. “Why the hell would you give him something like that?” he turned to Kita, who began to question his own reasons behind giving Damien such a thing. He bit his lip in frustration.
“Ah, what’s the worst he could do?” Kita grinned innocently; he was already starting to regret his decision.
“He could blow the whole goddamn world up, that’s what!” the Capo slumped over onto the window edge that he was leaning on. “It’s Damien….what can’t he do?”
“I can’t lick my elbow, that’s for sure.” Damien’s face was ecstatic as he walked towards the van.
“But I’m sure you’d find a way if you had to.” the Capo rolled his eyes, lifting a silver laptop from Luo’s lap. “Here, look at this.” he turned the screen to where Kita and Damien could see. “The Xuètŏng have been regularly patrolling their territory recently; like, within the past three months.”
“So? That tells me crap.” Damien was beginning to get impatient.
“So, it tells us that there’s something out there that has them on guard; the Xuètŏng never patrol their territory unless something has them spooked.” the Capo smiled at his findings. “I say we go and pay them a little visit regarding their little…..problem.” Damien called for the rest of his team over a walkie-talkie system that he had to keep in contact with everyone. Douvin and Greggorrio soon rejoined them, and the team piled into the van to drive towards the Xuètŏng’s territory on the east side of Cormice; they tended to hide out in the mountain areas, only coming into the main town when they had business to attend to.
The drive through the mass of trees up to the Xuètŏng’s main estate was long and winding; the main road broke off into a seldom traveled dirt road with grass growing up around it. The main building of their compound was a large red building that was adorned in ancient Chinese fashion; the roves were slanted and looked like pine trees, and the doors were decorated with fine gold carvings.
“God, these people must be rich!” Greggorrio made a remark very out of character.
“Not so much rich, but they’ve had this area for hundreds of years.” Damien wiped the fog from his window. “Only recently did they decide to use it as the stronghold for their Triad.”
“Damien’s right. But the family that owns the property has been in the big leagues for awhile now; the started around the same time the Lacrice did.” the Capo stroked his lush, purple hair as they pulled through the gates of the mighty palace. Guards came to meet them as they entered, carrying long rifles in their arms. The Capo rolled down his window and had a few words with the guards, who soon motioned him through to the main house.
As the group stepped out of the van, dark clouds began to move in overhead; they hurried their equipment into the main house before it could be damaged. They entered through the massive main door; two guards guarded this doorway as well. The guards opened the doors swiftly and bowed for the Lacrice representatives, recognizing Damien immediately.
“I always hate coming here, cause everyone stares at me.” Damien clenched his shoulders together tightly in a nervous manner.
“Well that’s your own damn fault. You’re the one who came here and beat the s**t out of their most prized fighter.” the Capo chuckled at Damien’s uncomfortable posture.
“He deserved it; besides, I was doing them a favor, the guy was stealing from them anyway.” Damien rolled his eyes while they walked through a hallway covered in gold and mirrors.
“Which is why they’re not trying to kill us right now.” the Capo glanced to his side, looking in one of the mirrors; he noticed how uncomfortable and anxious the rest of the team looked about being here, in the den of this feared Triad. “Just relax, kiddos. They’d never attack us with Damien around.” he smirked wickedly.
“Welcome, welcome.” a small Asian man dressed in gold traditional garb came to the doorway of the corridor to meet them. He bowed repeatedly, knowing the formalities he must undertake by heart. “My master has received word of your visit, and is waiting anxiously in his room. Please.” the man, keeping his low bow, motioned towards the large glass door that lay before them; Damien was the first to enter, noticing their host standing by his private bar immediately.
“Why are you here, my dear friend?” the young man continued to pour himself a glass of amber colored liquid, downing it as soon as his question had been asked.
“I think you should know by now, Cheng.” Damien looked at the young Asian man with a small smile on his face.
“Well, I did have a slight idea.” Cheng chuckled silently to himself. “But do you share our interests?” Cheng stroked his goatee gently, setting down his glass on the mirrored countertop.
“Interests?” Damien began to laugh. “By interests, do you mean we’re both after the same person? Cause I think we’re on the same page.” he turned his head slightly in a very sarcastic manner.
“Good.” Cheng flicked his long black hair behind his shoulder. “Then please, have a seat.” he motioned towards an area with low traditional cushions with a table in the middle. “We have much to discuss.” Cheng glided over to the seating area and sat with his arm resting out on his propped up knee. “Has something happened to the big and powerful Lacrice?” Cheng tilted his head back, raising another glass to his slender lips.
“There was, uh, an attempt on Don Incignio’s life last night.” the Capo fidgeted in the upright position he was in.
“And the old man is really freaking out for some reason.” Damien rolled his eyes, remembering the Don’s reaction earlier.
“So that’s what happened? Boy, you sure work fast.” Cheng chuckled quietly.
“So what happened to you guys?” Damien raised an eyebrow at the overly relaxed Cheng.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Cheng set his glass down, lowering his eyes to the table.
“Don’t be coy, we know you’ve been spooked by something.” Damien looked at him fiercely.
“We’ve seen how you’ve raised your security over the past few months. We’re not idiots, Cheng.” the Capo situated himself on his cushion.
“And I never accused of being so.” Cheng smiled. “I’m not too surprised that you caught on.” he glanced over to a woman standing in the corner, motioning for her. The woman disappeared behind a heavy curtain, returning again shortly after with a large wooden tray that held a long roll of paper. “We received this at our door about four months ago.” Cheng lifted the parchment off the tray with his fingertips, being careful not to damage it. He set it down on the table and swiftly unraveled the sash that bound it, unrolling the scroll with a movement of his hand.
“A….death sentence?” the Capo craned his neck out so he could read the makeshift letter.
“I’m afraid so.” Cheng closed his eyes in disappointment.
“For who? Wei?” Damien referred to Cheng’s father, who was the true leader of the Xuètŏng. “But why him? He hasn’t shown his face in almost two years now!”
“I know, it’s strange.” Cheng handed the letter over to the Capo for further examination. “But someone wants him dead.”
“He’s a dying old man who barely gives orders anymore.” Damien sprawled his upper body out of the table in front of him. “Who the hell would want him dead? There’s not reason, no motive……” he rolled on his side, looking up at Cheng. “Where is he, anyway?”
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that, Damien.” Cheng shook his head back and forth. “Besides, what kind of reception do you think you’ll get? A warm, loving one? My grandfather does not have the same trust in you that I have.”
“A trust that you may be a fool to have.” Damien slid a cup that blocked his view off to the side of his head.
“That may be, but for the most part, I’m glad that we have some sort of bond.” Cheng began to laugh.
“Sir!” A muscular built man ran through the main entrance to Cheng’s private room in an obvious panic.
“Yes, what is it?” Cheng set his glass down to speak to the man.
“An unidentified car has just pulled onto our private road! What should we do, sir?” the man stood erect, stiffened by his own nerves.
“Get me a pretty picture of the car, mmkay?” Cheng leaned in closer to the man, wrapping his arm around the man’s neck; it was his way of trying to calm the man.
“Yes sir!” the man quickly turned and bolted down the mirrored hallway, heading for the security room.
“Gods…..this can’t be good.” Cheng leaned against the doorway, his right arm above his head. “Are you willing to help an old friend?”
“An old friend?” Damien shifted his eyes to the side, grinning wickedly. “You’re the same age as me! Are you calling us old?” his sarcasm brought a needed break from the seriousness of their conversation.
“So you’ll do it for me?” Cheng moved his hand dramatically in front of his chest. “That really means a lot, you know?” he burst out into laughter seconds later, pulling his gun out and loading it for the impending fight. “Let’s rock and roll, babe.” the group of seven sprinted down the reflective hallway towards a safe room that Cheng’s father had built into the house. The large steel doors immediately gave away what the room was for: ambushing. A large curtain was draped in front of it to disguise it from the unassuming strangers, but the curtain could be lifted swiftly to allow a group of say, seven, to dash out and catch their foes off guard.
“Keep the doors unlocked!” Cheng motioned towards the guards that stood on either side of the massive curtain. “And get me a live feed from the security cameras!”
“Yes sir!” the men straightened in a salute like fashion.
“And don’t die.” Cheng softened his gaze as he stopped before them.
“We’ll try, sir. Thank you.” the guards’ accents were heavy; it would be hard not to notice them. The Capo and Greggorrio pried the large steel chamber open, allowing the rest of the group to slip in.
“Tell the servants to go up the mountain to their safe spot.” Cheng made one last request of the guards. “They have nothing to do with this.” he turned and entered the ambush room with the others, closing the door tightly behind them.
“So what do we do now?” Luo’s shy voice sounded even more frightened now than it ever had.
“We wait, and watch the show.” Damien flicked on a screen in the corner, and an image of the area surrounding the main house. The guards had disappeared; they had slinked away to the inner safety of the house.
“See, look there.” Cheng came up to the monitor and placed his finger on a spot in the forest. “They’re watching us.” he pointed to an unassuming bush, which, upon further observation, showed the front corner of a small black car, waiting for the right moment.
“And there.” Damien pointed to a pair of eyes peeking out from between the leaves. “It’s not a style I recognize.” he laughed at the attacking group’s efforts.
“Damn, you two work good together!” the Capo was amazed at their apparent teamwork.
“Well, we are amazing people.” Damien glanced over at Cheng, who shared the same smug that Damien had on his face.
“Very amazing.” the two began to laugh, until another movement caught their attention. “Someone’s getting out.” Cheng’s face straightened, eyes locked on the monitor. Cheng reached down for his two way radio. “Close the main doors.” a loud thud signaled the slamming shut of two massive lead doors that protected the outside. After seeing the group of people outside try to slink up to the doorway, Cheng initiated the first step in his complicated plan.
“So you got new ones!” Damien looked over at Cheng in an amused manner.
“Yes, no thanks to you.” Cheng rolled his eyes, remembering how Damien easily blew huge holes through the last pair.
“Well, it couldn’t be helped.” Damien redirected the conversation. “So what exactly is your plan for these weirdoes?” he raised an eyebrow at Cheng.
“Well, I was thinking something a little…….” Cheng shifted his hand over to a controller, pressing down a large red button on the top. “explosive.” he grinned massively as large explosions shook the walls of the steel chamber.
“I like your style.” Damien smirked. “So what’s next? Do I get to run out, stilettos twirling?” he reached a hand up the back of his jacket, grasping one of his hidden stilettos.
“No, no, not yet.” Cheng raised his palms up, urging him to ease down.
“Yet.” Damien released his grip on the stiletto, resting his head on his gloved hand. “But what before that?”
“We have to wait until they make their move.” Cheng sighed deeply. “And who knows how long that’ll be.” he leaned against the wall next to him, tired from standing. Both he and Damien were impatiently waiting for the attacking group to move—to do something, anything. As the smoke cleared, a menagerie of men in white suits clustered around the doorway became visible. The group inside the chamber immediately leapt to their feet as they saw the tools in the men’s hands; they were attempting to break through the foot thick lead doors.
“They’re fools.” Damien traced his finger around the edge of the monitor. “They can’t easily break through that thick lead.”
“Don’t underestimate them, Damien.” Cheng placed both hands on either side of the monitor, bracing it stiffly. “We don’t know anything about them; they could be getting information from somewhere.” he frowned “Someone who knows about my grandfather has ties to the Xuètŏng.”
“How?” Damien looked puzzled. “I thought you killed everyone who left the Xuètŏng.” his brow became furrowed at his sudden realization. “Don’t tell me you know who it is?”
“I don’t. But I remember a night when we were young, my father asked me to distract the guards for awhile.” Cheng shook his head in disbelief.
“So your old man snuck ‘em out!” Damien laughed. “I didn’t think he had it in him…..” his gaze wandered off to the side of the monitor. “So what happens when they get in?” Damien raised an amused eyebrow at Cheng.
“Well……I guess you can always go out and kill them all.” Cheng shrugged; he hadn’t expected a plan of action like this.
“That sounds like fun.” Damien tilted his head back, imagining the excitement that he was going to have soon. He stretched his hands out, closing his eyes for dramatic effect.
“Ack, they’re in.” Cheng stepped back from the monitor briefly, not fully understanding how someone was able to break through pure lead doors. “Go get ‘em, tiger.” he patted Damien on the back, urging him to go out of the chamber.
“So boys, what’ll it be today?” Damien stepped out from behind the plush velvet curtain. He was met with looks of wonder and confusion. “Shall I take you all on as a group, or are you all just gonna line up?” he raised an eyebrow to the crowd. From the view of a passerby, the scene looked like the devil versus a hoard of angels; the large group of men all dressed in white suits against Damien, who always wore all black. His crimson hair didn’t help that fact, either, glowing devilishly in the grey light. With every step forward he took, the group of men kept their guns raised, backing away from him slowly. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid?” his wicked grin continued to grow across his face. “Well then, I guess I should make the first move.” before Damien could take another step forward, members of the group opposite him began to fire shots in his direction. One barely skimmed through his hair, snipping it off at the edge. Damien crossed his eyebrows angrily. “Big mistake.” with a flash of red and black, Damien had drawn his stilettos and began rampaging through the mass of men; he barely stopped, only pausing to impale one man, bringing his stiletto up through the whole of his body, slicing him in half. One by one, the men’s suits were stained with blood. Damien paused to catch his breath, and was attacked from behind by a short husky man, rushing at him with a short sword. Sensing the attack, Damien flipped his stilettos around so they were facing his stomach, and with a swift movement, he stabbed his stilettos right through his own flesh and impaled the man rushing at him before he had the chance to thrust down his sword. “A little help would be nice, you know!” Damien spat the fresh blood in his mouth onto the white marble floor. The soft squish of Damien’s organs as he withdrew his stilettos was heavenly to his ears; and the pain put him in absolute ecstasy.
“I thought you could handle this kinda stuff on your own.” the Capo ran out next to Damien with a smug look of satisfaction upon his face. “God, what the hell did you do?!” he glanced down at Damien’s gaping wound, reaching over to try and stop the bleeding.
“No, don’t.” Damien’s strong hand removed the Capo’s from his abdomen. “It feels too good.” his eyes rolled back into his head briefly, soaking in every minute of this pain.
“Whatever you say, man.” the Capo turned away, shaking his head. “Now let’s have some fun.” the duo sprinted through the maze of lackeys before them; their teamwork was rehearsed in appearance from their years of working together. “I’m guessing that’s the leader there?” the Capo pointed to a man standing calmly with a white cane.
“I would assume so. How about we go and introduce ourselves?” Damien whipped around a man that stood in front of him, slicing through his side while he passed, headed towards the man that stood apathetically. Upon reaching him, Damien turned his stilettos upwards, trapping the man’s neck between them. “And who might you be?” Damien twisted his head menacingly, looking up at the man with bloodthirsty eyes.
“I don’t think you’ll live long enough to need to know.” the man’s happily closed eyes enraged Damien, who pushed his stilettos in further, causing the man’s neck to begin to bleed out.
“Oh, but to the contrary, I don’t think you’ll live long enough to need it anymore.” Damien’s smirk grew as he waited to be able to press the stilettos in much further.
“Damien.” the Capo’s firm voice briefly distracted Damien from his current obsession. “Tie him up; we’re done here.” he motioned to the scattered bodies seeping blood onto the marble floor. Slowly, the rest of his team and Cheng made their way out of the steel chamber, eyeing the bodies carefully as they made their way over to the pair.
“Well, I see you really had fun out here.” Cheng smiled as he squatted down to examine one of the bodies closely; it had been completely sliced in half.
“I guess you could say that.” the Capo shrugged. “But that there is Damien’s handiwork.” he pointed to the body that Cheng was examining.
“I kinda guessed.” he slowly lifted himself back up to a standing position, brushing his white pants off in the process. “I think we need to get this mess cleaned up before our company arrives.” Cheng motioned to his guards that had reemerged from the inner sanctum of the house.
“Company?” Douvin looked puzzled. She glanced over to Damien who avoided her gaze quite skillfully.
“Yeah, I thought we were the only ones who were gonna be here today.” Greggorrio shared Douvin’s confusion.
“Well, as long as your boss knows about it, I guess there’s really no need to tell you.” Cheng looked to Damien for assurance. “I guess he hasn’t told you because he’s not looking forward to it himself.” Damien showed his obvious disdain for the current conversation, and began kicking the man that they had just tied up.
“So what the hell are we gonna do with this guy?” he looked down, a somber look upon his face.
“We’ll need to question him a little later, but for now he can go down to our guards’ chambers.” Cheng smiled innocently, knowing all too well what went on down there.
“So when is he gonna show?” Damien walked over to the window, smudging off the fog that the fresh rain had left.
“Soon, is all I’m told.” Cheng’s eyes fell; he knew how hard it was for Damien to keep his composure now. Kita glanced back and forth between the long time friends, vaguely picking up on what was soon to happen. Greggorrio, fed up with the silence, began to aid the guards in the cleanup of the once pristine room.
“You guys sure know how to party.” he laughed off his obvious disgust and horror that was placed in him from the sight of the splayed bodies.
“Damn right we do.” the Capo stood proudly over his accomplishment. “But you’ve gotta get used to this kind of thing; it happens a lot with us.” he recognized Greggorrio’s nausea and tried to comfort him.
“You’d think I would be, being in this business and all, but it still gets to me.” he heaved as he pushed one particularly disgusting body off to the side. “I hope this doesn’t stain your floors.” Greggorrio chuckled to himself.
“Oh no, we’ve got a rather useful way of cleaning this kind of thing up, seeing as how Damien has a tendency to do this sort of thing here quite often.” Cheng laughed, but shifted a hard glare in Damien’s direction.
“I can’t help it!” Damien shrugged while trying to hide a laugh. “You’re perfectly white floors are just too much fun to dirty.”
“Anyway….” Cheng rolled his eyes, attempting to change the conversation. “He’s coming soon, so we better get this all cleaned up.” Damien frowned at the timetable he had; he would prefer to not even have to see this man, but it was inevitable.
The marble floors sparkled in the light of the chandeliers; the guards had dressed in more formal clothing and were standing on either side of the large front door. As an entourage of long black cars pulled up in the lit driveway, Cheng slowly made his way out to the main room, leaning against a large red pillar with a small glass in hand. His face showed his displeasure; he forced a smile when one of the men came out of the first black car and opened a door on the long limousine. He glanced over at Damien, who sat on a plush red loveseat with his hand over his eyes. His team surrounded him, looking nervous about the visiting party.
“Good evening, sir!” the front guards bowed deeply as a man with dark sunglasses entered the building, surrounded by bodyguards.
“Cheng! What a pleasure to see you again!” the man outstretched his arms towards Cheng, who merely waved his unoccupied fingers at him. He downed the remaining liquid he had in his glass in an instant, preparing for the long night that lay ahead.
“I see…..you have some unexpected company.” the man frowned slightly, glancing over towards Damien and his team.
“Oh no, they weren’t unexpected.” Cheng was quick to correct the haughty looking man.
“Oh.” he flicked his hand back, signaling his bodyguards to move closer in on Damien, trying to contain him.
“Well aren’t you mister sunshine?” Damien looked up, his eyes deep with hate. “Don’t think that you’re the only one upset at this arrangement.”
“Arrangement?” the man lifted his eyes in a false disbelief. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t give me that s**t, Mara!” Damien jumped to his feet, his hands gently fondled the holster for his gun. Mara’s eyes narrowed; he did not enjoy being spoken to in such a manner.
“Shut up, you beast.” he tilted his head and lowered his sunglasses, showing his deep blue glasses. Damien met his uncovered eyes with a cold stare, careful not to waver.
“Come, come, now.” Cheng motioned for the two to make their way into his private back room. “No fighting out here.” the large mass of people hesitantly walked back to the meeting room; Cheng stopped any bodyguards from entering, only the core people were allowed in. Mara eyed Cheng warily for this, not sure if he was able to trust him or not. Damien was the first to enter, swiftly pulling the door shut behind him. His team was a little more polite than he; waiting a bit before they entered, allowing Mara and Cheng to go before them.
“Why do they get to go in and my bodyguards don’t?” Mara whipped off his sunglasses, showing his obvious disdain.
“Because they are not bodyguards, Mara.” Cheng closed his eyes a smiled gently, being careful not to show his own distaste for the man.
“What? Than what the hell are they? I’ve never seen them before.” Mara flicked his finger over in the general direction of the team, eyeing them up and down.
“It’s no concern of yours.” Damien stared at Mara with malicious intent.
“Damien……lost his previous team, so he acquired a new one, that’s all.” Cheng poured some hot tea for his guests, handing Damien a glass before Mara.
“Don’t tell me you killed your last team?” Mara snickered at Damien, glancing over at the Capo. “That must be it, cause Capo’s still here.” he grunted unpleasantly; he had never liked the Capo much.
“Again, it’s none of your concern.” Damien swigged some of his drink, desperate to stop talking to this man. “So why is it that we’re all here?” he shifted his attention to the amused Cheng.
“We’re here,” Cheng carefully set the pot of tea back on the table. “to discuss our little…..problem.”
The doors closed behind them; a look of obvious concern was painted all over the Don’s wrinkled face. Something was bothering him, and Damien could only guess as to what would bother the head of such a powerful mafia.
“Grandfather, is everything okay?” Damien stepped away from his stiffened team, reaching out a hand in concern.
“No……nothing’s okay.” the Don’s eyes flickered back and forth across the ground before him. “I’m leaving Cormice tonight.”
“What the-“ Damien’s eyes became agitated. “Why?” he straightened himself, grudgingly ready to hear the Don’s excuse.
“I’m not safe here anymore.” the Don fidgeted in his arm chair, making the leather squeak beneath him.
“Safe?” Damien laughed at his thoughts. “There’s no place safer than right here.” he leaned in on the Don’s desk, head lowered to look at the Don directly.
“I’m not like you, Damien!” Incignio tilted his head sideways, looking out the window. “I can’t protect myself like you can. I’m just getting too old for this.”
“But you can’t leave Cormice—us! You just can’t leave the Lacrice here alone!” Damien knew what would happen if the Don left, and he was in no way prepared to take on that responsibility.
“I think you’re all ready to go on without me.” the Don fiddled with his fingers, a mannerism that Damien noticed when the Don was nervous.
“What has you so damn scared that you’re willing to just drop everything and leave us here?!” Damien pounded his fists on the hard oak.
“Damien……you must understand what kind of situations my position puts me in.” the Don looked at him squarely.
“What Don Incignio is trying to say, sir, is that there has been an attempt on his life.” one of Incignio’s bodyguards stepped out from the corner to inform Damien and his team of the current situation.
“What?” the Capo came forward, interested in who would have the gall to do such a thing. “When did this happen? Who did it? Why weren’t we informed sooner?” his inquisitive nature took over.
“I happened yesterday evening.” the Don stretched his aging hand out in front of him. “It appeared to be the Xuètŏng.” his eyes dropped.
“The Chinese Triad?” Kita stepped forward; he had had to deal with this group when he was apart of the Yakuza. “What do they want with you? Their business is totally unrelated to any of you.” his eyes dropped, searching for answers within himself.
“Yes, the infamous Triad. I’m sure you’ve dealt with them before, Kita, so you’re input is greatly appreciated.” the Don bypassed Damien, who was still standing before him, to look at Kita directly.
“But how did it happen? Were there any signs as to their motive?” the Capo kept on badgering the Don for more answers.
“We were out last night, finishing up a, eh, deal with one of our partners.” Incignio’s bodyguard informed.
“Shots were fired from my right, and Collin and Fervo here told me that it was best to stay down.” the Don motioned to the two men standing behind him. “The shots persisted, only aimed at out car.”
“Well, that tells us s**t.” Damien rolled his eyes in frustration. “For one thing, it could’ve been any weirdoes shooting at you. For another thing, are you absolutely sure that they were aiming at you? And what about these partners of yours? Are you sure you can fully trust them?” he raised his hands questionably.
“I’m gonna have to go with Damien on this one. From what I’ve heard so far, it just sounds like a second-rate gang trying to get some street cred in the big leagues.” Capo relaxed his shoulders, feeling better about the situation. “We can check it out for you, though. If you’d like.” Capo’s words were met with a hard stare from Damien; he didn’t want have to go talk to the Triad. Not at all.
“Please do. It’s the only way I can stay here in Cormice.” the Don was amused at Damien’s distaste for the Triad.
“Fine! We’ll go look into it.” Damien turned abruptly and headed for the door, only waiting a moment while the Capo bowed for the Don. Once the whole team had entered the corridor and were away from the Don, Damien began to give out orders. “Greggorrio, I really don’t want to deal with these people. Not on their turf. No way, no how.” Damien tapped on a nearby wall nervously. “Arrange something in Cormice.” he switched topics quickly. “Douvin, go……do something tactical. I don’t know what the hell it is that you do, but go do it.” he flicked his hand in a commanding way. “Kita, go gather my guns.” Damien turned and smirked at Kita. “Get me some good ones.” Damien glanced over at Luo, unsure as to what to do with her. “What do you do again?” he looked puzzled; he never bothered to know what she did, merely thinking of her as a lost child.
“Me?” Luo blushed at his sudden attention. “I’m a……scout and or……information gatherer.” she began to stutter, her eyes never leaving the floor. Damien reached his hand under her chin and gently lifted it up to face him.
“Look at me when you speak.” his eyes gentled, trying not to scare her; it would only be bothersome if he had a subordinate that truly, wholeheartedly feared him. “Talk to Capo about what to do, cause I really don’t know much in that aspect.”
“Damien’s more of a hack and slash kinda guy.” the Capo chuckled aloud.
“Yeah, well it’s worked for me this far.” Damien rolled his eyes at his old friend. He slid his arm over Luo’s shoulders and proceeded to walk down the corridor, looking as smug as ever. “Take her away, Capo.” Damien released his grip on Luo as the reached the courtyard.
“Fine.” the Capo turned to Luo. “C’mon now, we’ve gotta get a move on.” the pair hurried along to the van, obviously formulating some sort of plan.
“Finally, some peace.” Damien slumped over on a nearby bench, glad to have some solitude. He ran his fingers along the cold metal of the bench seat, propping his legs upon the sides. He remembered that last time he was sent out on a mission of this sort; go ‘negotiate’ with a pissed of Triad. Last time, only he and the Capo returned. He seemed to go through teams fairly quickly these days. Even when he was young, Damien’s violent tendencies cost more than one subordinate their life. Damien lifted his hand and laid it across his eyes, trying to block his wincing eyes.
“Damien, I’m back.” Kita’s voice sounded from behind the tall bushes that surrounded the seating area he was in. Damien removed his hand from his eyes and sighed deeply; good things never lasted long. “I….got the guns you wanted. And a little surprise for ya.” Kita tossed a large black duffle bag towards Damien, who caught it as it flew through the air.
“What kind of surprise?” Damien grinned like a little boy opening presents. He unzipped the bag as fast as his fingers would allow, pulling out a long, heavy set gun that looked like a long tube with a trigger. Damien’s eyes widened with excitement. “You got me a freaking bazooka?!” Damien ran over to Kita tackled him to the ground, ecstatic at his new toy.
“Yeah, yeah. It was just kinda laying around, so I brought it here for you.” he winked at Damien sarcastically. “Just don’t go killing me with it.” Damien stroked his new play thing over and over, watching its sleek outer shell glisten in the sunlight.
“I’m gonna have to go try this baby out…..” Damien muttered to himself, entranced in the large gun’s beauty. “Hey Kita, do you know where any new recruits are?” Kita’s face straightened, convinced that Damien had to be joking.
“No blowing up recruits.” his face grew concerned when he saw the genuine dismay on Damien’s face at this letdown. Kita’s attention was distracted by the Capo motioning for the two to head over to the waiting van.
“What the hell?” the Capo rubbed his head at the sight of Damien carrying a massive weapon. “Why the hell would you give him something like that?” he turned to Kita, who began to question his own reasons behind giving Damien such a thing. He bit his lip in frustration.
“Ah, what’s the worst he could do?” Kita grinned innocently; he was already starting to regret his decision.
“He could blow the whole goddamn world up, that’s what!” the Capo slumped over onto the window edge that he was leaning on. “It’s Damien….what can’t he do?”
“I can’t lick my elbow, that’s for sure.” Damien’s face was ecstatic as he walked towards the van.
“But I’m sure you’d find a way if you had to.” the Capo rolled his eyes, lifting a silver laptop from Luo’s lap. “Here, look at this.” he turned the screen to where Kita and Damien could see. “The Xuètŏng have been regularly patrolling their territory recently; like, within the past three months.”
“So? That tells me crap.” Damien was beginning to get impatient.
“So, it tells us that there’s something out there that has them on guard; the Xuètŏng never patrol their territory unless something has them spooked.” the Capo smiled at his findings. “I say we go and pay them a little visit regarding their little…..problem.” Damien called for the rest of his team over a walkie-talkie system that he had to keep in contact with everyone. Douvin and Greggorrio soon rejoined them, and the team piled into the van to drive towards the Xuètŏng’s territory on the east side of Cormice; they tended to hide out in the mountain areas, only coming into the main town when they had business to attend to.
The drive through the mass of trees up to the Xuètŏng’s main estate was long and winding; the main road broke off into a seldom traveled dirt road with grass growing up around it. The main building of their compound was a large red building that was adorned in ancient Chinese fashion; the roves were slanted and looked like pine trees, and the doors were decorated with fine gold carvings.
“God, these people must be rich!” Greggorrio made a remark very out of character.
“Not so much rich, but they’ve had this area for hundreds of years.” Damien wiped the fog from his window. “Only recently did they decide to use it as the stronghold for their Triad.”
“Damien’s right. But the family that owns the property has been in the big leagues for awhile now; the started around the same time the Lacrice did.” the Capo stroked his lush, purple hair as they pulled through the gates of the mighty palace. Guards came to meet them as they entered, carrying long rifles in their arms. The Capo rolled down his window and had a few words with the guards, who soon motioned him through to the main house.
As the group stepped out of the van, dark clouds began to move in overhead; they hurried their equipment into the main house before it could be damaged. They entered through the massive main door; two guards guarded this doorway as well. The guards opened the doors swiftly and bowed for the Lacrice representatives, recognizing Damien immediately.
“I always hate coming here, cause everyone stares at me.” Damien clenched his shoulders together tightly in a nervous manner.
“Well that’s your own damn fault. You’re the one who came here and beat the s**t out of their most prized fighter.” the Capo chuckled at Damien’s uncomfortable posture.
“He deserved it; besides, I was doing them a favor, the guy was stealing from them anyway.” Damien rolled his eyes while they walked through a hallway covered in gold and mirrors.
“Which is why they’re not trying to kill us right now.” the Capo glanced to his side, looking in one of the mirrors; he noticed how uncomfortable and anxious the rest of the team looked about being here, in the den of this feared Triad. “Just relax, kiddos. They’d never attack us with Damien around.” he smirked wickedly.
“Welcome, welcome.” a small Asian man dressed in gold traditional garb came to the doorway of the corridor to meet them. He bowed repeatedly, knowing the formalities he must undertake by heart. “My master has received word of your visit, and is waiting anxiously in his room. Please.” the man, keeping his low bow, motioned towards the large glass door that lay before them; Damien was the first to enter, noticing their host standing by his private bar immediately.
“Why are you here, my dear friend?” the young man continued to pour himself a glass of amber colored liquid, downing it as soon as his question had been asked.
“I think you should know by now, Cheng.” Damien looked at the young Asian man with a small smile on his face.
“Well, I did have a slight idea.” Cheng chuckled silently to himself. “But do you share our interests?” Cheng stroked his goatee gently, setting down his glass on the mirrored countertop.
“Interests?” Damien began to laugh. “By interests, do you mean we’re both after the same person? Cause I think we’re on the same page.” he turned his head slightly in a very sarcastic manner.
“Good.” Cheng flicked his long black hair behind his shoulder. “Then please, have a seat.” he motioned towards an area with low traditional cushions with a table in the middle. “We have much to discuss.” Cheng glided over to the seating area and sat with his arm resting out on his propped up knee. “Has something happened to the big and powerful Lacrice?” Cheng tilted his head back, raising another glass to his slender lips.
“There was, uh, an attempt on Don Incignio’s life last night.” the Capo fidgeted in the upright position he was in.
“And the old man is really freaking out for some reason.” Damien rolled his eyes, remembering the Don’s reaction earlier.
“So that’s what happened? Boy, you sure work fast.” Cheng chuckled quietly.
“So what happened to you guys?” Damien raised an eyebrow at the overly relaxed Cheng.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Cheng set his glass down, lowering his eyes to the table.
“Don’t be coy, we know you’ve been spooked by something.” Damien looked at him fiercely.
“We’ve seen how you’ve raised your security over the past few months. We’re not idiots, Cheng.” the Capo situated himself on his cushion.
“And I never accused of being so.” Cheng smiled. “I’m not too surprised that you caught on.” he glanced over to a woman standing in the corner, motioning for her. The woman disappeared behind a heavy curtain, returning again shortly after with a large wooden tray that held a long roll of paper. “We received this at our door about four months ago.” Cheng lifted the parchment off the tray with his fingertips, being careful not to damage it. He set it down on the table and swiftly unraveled the sash that bound it, unrolling the scroll with a movement of his hand.
“A….death sentence?” the Capo craned his neck out so he could read the makeshift letter.
“I’m afraid so.” Cheng closed his eyes in disappointment.
“For who? Wei?” Damien referred to Cheng’s father, who was the true leader of the Xuètŏng. “But why him? He hasn’t shown his face in almost two years now!”
“I know, it’s strange.” Cheng handed the letter over to the Capo for further examination. “But someone wants him dead.”
“He’s a dying old man who barely gives orders anymore.” Damien sprawled his upper body out of the table in front of him. “Who the hell would want him dead? There’s not reason, no motive……” he rolled on his side, looking up at Cheng. “Where is he, anyway?”
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that, Damien.” Cheng shook his head back and forth. “Besides, what kind of reception do you think you’ll get? A warm, loving one? My grandfather does not have the same trust in you that I have.”
“A trust that you may be a fool to have.” Damien slid a cup that blocked his view off to the side of his head.
“That may be, but for the most part, I’m glad that we have some sort of bond.” Cheng began to laugh.
“Sir!” A muscular built man ran through the main entrance to Cheng’s private room in an obvious panic.
“Yes, what is it?” Cheng set his glass down to speak to the man.
“An unidentified car has just pulled onto our private road! What should we do, sir?” the man stood erect, stiffened by his own nerves.
“Get me a pretty picture of the car, mmkay?” Cheng leaned in closer to the man, wrapping his arm around the man’s neck; it was his way of trying to calm the man.
“Yes sir!” the man quickly turned and bolted down the mirrored hallway, heading for the security room.
“Gods…..this can’t be good.” Cheng leaned against the doorway, his right arm above his head. “Are you willing to help an old friend?”
“An old friend?” Damien shifted his eyes to the side, grinning wickedly. “You’re the same age as me! Are you calling us old?” his sarcasm brought a needed break from the seriousness of their conversation.
“So you’ll do it for me?” Cheng moved his hand dramatically in front of his chest. “That really means a lot, you know?” he burst out into laughter seconds later, pulling his gun out and loading it for the impending fight. “Let’s rock and roll, babe.” the group of seven sprinted down the reflective hallway towards a safe room that Cheng’s father had built into the house. The large steel doors immediately gave away what the room was for: ambushing. A large curtain was draped in front of it to disguise it from the unassuming strangers, but the curtain could be lifted swiftly to allow a group of say, seven, to dash out and catch their foes off guard.
“Keep the doors unlocked!” Cheng motioned towards the guards that stood on either side of the massive curtain. “And get me a live feed from the security cameras!”
“Yes sir!” the men straightened in a salute like fashion.
“And don’t die.” Cheng softened his gaze as he stopped before them.
“We’ll try, sir. Thank you.” the guards’ accents were heavy; it would be hard not to notice them. The Capo and Greggorrio pried the large steel chamber open, allowing the rest of the group to slip in.
“Tell the servants to go up the mountain to their safe spot.” Cheng made one last request of the guards. “They have nothing to do with this.” he turned and entered the ambush room with the others, closing the door tightly behind them.
“So what do we do now?” Luo’s shy voice sounded even more frightened now than it ever had.
“We wait, and watch the show.” Damien flicked on a screen in the corner, and an image of the area surrounding the main house. The guards had disappeared; they had slinked away to the inner safety of the house.
“See, look there.” Cheng came up to the monitor and placed his finger on a spot in the forest. “They’re watching us.” he pointed to an unassuming bush, which, upon further observation, showed the front corner of a small black car, waiting for the right moment.
“And there.” Damien pointed to a pair of eyes peeking out from between the leaves. “It’s not a style I recognize.” he laughed at the attacking group’s efforts.
“Damn, you two work good together!” the Capo was amazed at their apparent teamwork.
“Well, we are amazing people.” Damien glanced over at Cheng, who shared the same smug that Damien had on his face.
“Very amazing.” the two began to laugh, until another movement caught their attention. “Someone’s getting out.” Cheng’s face straightened, eyes locked on the monitor. Cheng reached down for his two way radio. “Close the main doors.” a loud thud signaled the slamming shut of two massive lead doors that protected the outside. After seeing the group of people outside try to slink up to the doorway, Cheng initiated the first step in his complicated plan.
“So you got new ones!” Damien looked over at Cheng in an amused manner.
“Yes, no thanks to you.” Cheng rolled his eyes, remembering how Damien easily blew huge holes through the last pair.
“Well, it couldn’t be helped.” Damien redirected the conversation. “So what exactly is your plan for these weirdoes?” he raised an eyebrow at Cheng.
“Well, I was thinking something a little…….” Cheng shifted his hand over to a controller, pressing down a large red button on the top. “explosive.” he grinned massively as large explosions shook the walls of the steel chamber.
“I like your style.” Damien smirked. “So what’s next? Do I get to run out, stilettos twirling?” he reached a hand up the back of his jacket, grasping one of his hidden stilettos.
“No, no, not yet.” Cheng raised his palms up, urging him to ease down.
“Yet.” Damien released his grip on the stiletto, resting his head on his gloved hand. “But what before that?”
“We have to wait until they make their move.” Cheng sighed deeply. “And who knows how long that’ll be.” he leaned against the wall next to him, tired from standing. Both he and Damien were impatiently waiting for the attacking group to move—to do something, anything. As the smoke cleared, a menagerie of men in white suits clustered around the doorway became visible. The group inside the chamber immediately leapt to their feet as they saw the tools in the men’s hands; they were attempting to break through the foot thick lead doors.
“They’re fools.” Damien traced his finger around the edge of the monitor. “They can’t easily break through that thick lead.”
“Don’t underestimate them, Damien.” Cheng placed both hands on either side of the monitor, bracing it stiffly. “We don’t know anything about them; they could be getting information from somewhere.” he frowned “Someone who knows about my grandfather has ties to the Xuètŏng.”
“How?” Damien looked puzzled. “I thought you killed everyone who left the Xuètŏng.” his brow became furrowed at his sudden realization. “Don’t tell me you know who it is?”
“I don’t. But I remember a night when we were young, my father asked me to distract the guards for awhile.” Cheng shook his head in disbelief.
“So your old man snuck ‘em out!” Damien laughed. “I didn’t think he had it in him…..” his gaze wandered off to the side of the monitor. “So what happens when they get in?” Damien raised an amused eyebrow at Cheng.
“Well……I guess you can always go out and kill them all.” Cheng shrugged; he hadn’t expected a plan of action like this.
“That sounds like fun.” Damien tilted his head back, imagining the excitement that he was going to have soon. He stretched his hands out, closing his eyes for dramatic effect.
“Ack, they’re in.” Cheng stepped back from the monitor briefly, not fully understanding how someone was able to break through pure lead doors. “Go get ‘em, tiger.” he patted Damien on the back, urging him to go out of the chamber.
“So boys, what’ll it be today?” Damien stepped out from behind the plush velvet curtain. He was met with looks of wonder and confusion. “Shall I take you all on as a group, or are you all just gonna line up?” he raised an eyebrow to the crowd. From the view of a passerby, the scene looked like the devil versus a hoard of angels; the large group of men all dressed in white suits against Damien, who always wore all black. His crimson hair didn’t help that fact, either, glowing devilishly in the grey light. With every step forward he took, the group of men kept their guns raised, backing away from him slowly. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid?” his wicked grin continued to grow across his face. “Well then, I guess I should make the first move.” before Damien could take another step forward, members of the group opposite him began to fire shots in his direction. One barely skimmed through his hair, snipping it off at the edge. Damien crossed his eyebrows angrily. “Big mistake.” with a flash of red and black, Damien had drawn his stilettos and began rampaging through the mass of men; he barely stopped, only pausing to impale one man, bringing his stiletto up through the whole of his body, slicing him in half. One by one, the men’s suits were stained with blood. Damien paused to catch his breath, and was attacked from behind by a short husky man, rushing at him with a short sword. Sensing the attack, Damien flipped his stilettos around so they were facing his stomach, and with a swift movement, he stabbed his stilettos right through his own flesh and impaled the man rushing at him before he had the chance to thrust down his sword. “A little help would be nice, you know!” Damien spat the fresh blood in his mouth onto the white marble floor. The soft squish of Damien’s organs as he withdrew his stilettos was heavenly to his ears; and the pain put him in absolute ecstasy.
“I thought you could handle this kinda stuff on your own.” the Capo ran out next to Damien with a smug look of satisfaction upon his face. “God, what the hell did you do?!” he glanced down at Damien’s gaping wound, reaching over to try and stop the bleeding.
“No, don’t.” Damien’s strong hand removed the Capo’s from his abdomen. “It feels too good.” his eyes rolled back into his head briefly, soaking in every minute of this pain.
“Whatever you say, man.” the Capo turned away, shaking his head. “Now let’s have some fun.” the duo sprinted through the maze of lackeys before them; their teamwork was rehearsed in appearance from their years of working together. “I’m guessing that’s the leader there?” the Capo pointed to a man standing calmly with a white cane.
“I would assume so. How about we go and introduce ourselves?” Damien whipped around a man that stood in front of him, slicing through his side while he passed, headed towards the man that stood apathetically. Upon reaching him, Damien turned his stilettos upwards, trapping the man’s neck between them. “And who might you be?” Damien twisted his head menacingly, looking up at the man with bloodthirsty eyes.
“I don’t think you’ll live long enough to need to know.” the man’s happily closed eyes enraged Damien, who pushed his stilettos in further, causing the man’s neck to begin to bleed out.
“Oh, but to the contrary, I don’t think you’ll live long enough to need it anymore.” Damien’s smirk grew as he waited to be able to press the stilettos in much further.
“Damien.” the Capo’s firm voice briefly distracted Damien from his current obsession. “Tie him up; we’re done here.” he motioned to the scattered bodies seeping blood onto the marble floor. Slowly, the rest of his team and Cheng made their way out of the steel chamber, eyeing the bodies carefully as they made their way over to the pair.
“Well, I see you really had fun out here.” Cheng smiled as he squatted down to examine one of the bodies closely; it had been completely sliced in half.
“I guess you could say that.” the Capo shrugged. “But that there is Damien’s handiwork.” he pointed to the body that Cheng was examining.
“I kinda guessed.” he slowly lifted himself back up to a standing position, brushing his white pants off in the process. “I think we need to get this mess cleaned up before our company arrives.” Cheng motioned to his guards that had reemerged from the inner sanctum of the house.
“Company?” Douvin looked puzzled. She glanced over to Damien who avoided her gaze quite skillfully.
“Yeah, I thought we were the only ones who were gonna be here today.” Greggorrio shared Douvin’s confusion.
“Well, as long as your boss knows about it, I guess there’s really no need to tell you.” Cheng looked to Damien for assurance. “I guess he hasn’t told you because he’s not looking forward to it himself.” Damien showed his obvious disdain for the current conversation, and began kicking the man that they had just tied up.
“So what the hell are we gonna do with this guy?” he looked down, a somber look upon his face.
“We’ll need to question him a little later, but for now he can go down to our guards’ chambers.” Cheng smiled innocently, knowing all too well what went on down there.
“So when is he gonna show?” Damien walked over to the window, smudging off the fog that the fresh rain had left.
“Soon, is all I’m told.” Cheng’s eyes fell; he knew how hard it was for Damien to keep his composure now. Kita glanced back and forth between the long time friends, vaguely picking up on what was soon to happen. Greggorrio, fed up with the silence, began to aid the guards in the cleanup of the once pristine room.
“You guys sure know how to party.” he laughed off his obvious disgust and horror that was placed in him from the sight of the splayed bodies.
“Damn right we do.” the Capo stood proudly over his accomplishment. “But you’ve gotta get used to this kind of thing; it happens a lot with us.” he recognized Greggorrio’s nausea and tried to comfort him.
“You’d think I would be, being in this business and all, but it still gets to me.” he heaved as he pushed one particularly disgusting body off to the side. “I hope this doesn’t stain your floors.” Greggorrio chuckled to himself.
“Oh no, we’ve got a rather useful way of cleaning this kind of thing up, seeing as how Damien has a tendency to do this sort of thing here quite often.” Cheng laughed, but shifted a hard glare in Damien’s direction.
“I can’t help it!” Damien shrugged while trying to hide a laugh. “You’re perfectly white floors are just too much fun to dirty.”
“Anyway….” Cheng rolled his eyes, attempting to change the conversation. “He’s coming soon, so we better get this all cleaned up.” Damien frowned at the timetable he had; he would prefer to not even have to see this man, but it was inevitable.
The marble floors sparkled in the light of the chandeliers; the guards had dressed in more formal clothing and were standing on either side of the large front door. As an entourage of long black cars pulled up in the lit driveway, Cheng slowly made his way out to the main room, leaning against a large red pillar with a small glass in hand. His face showed his displeasure; he forced a smile when one of the men came out of the first black car and opened a door on the long limousine. He glanced over at Damien, who sat on a plush red loveseat with his hand over his eyes. His team surrounded him, looking nervous about the visiting party.
“Good evening, sir!” the front guards bowed deeply as a man with dark sunglasses entered the building, surrounded by bodyguards.
“Cheng! What a pleasure to see you again!” the man outstretched his arms towards Cheng, who merely waved his unoccupied fingers at him. He downed the remaining liquid he had in his glass in an instant, preparing for the long night that lay ahead.
“I see…..you have some unexpected company.” the man frowned slightly, glancing over towards Damien and his team.
“Oh no, they weren’t unexpected.” Cheng was quick to correct the haughty looking man.
“Oh.” he flicked his hand back, signaling his bodyguards to move closer in on Damien, trying to contain him.
“Well aren’t you mister sunshine?” Damien looked up, his eyes deep with hate. “Don’t think that you’re the only one upset at this arrangement.”
“Arrangement?” the man lifted his eyes in a false disbelief. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t give me that s**t, Mara!” Damien jumped to his feet, his hands gently fondled the holster for his gun. Mara’s eyes narrowed; he did not enjoy being spoken to in such a manner.
“Shut up, you beast.” he tilted his head and lowered his sunglasses, showing his deep blue glasses. Damien met his uncovered eyes with a cold stare, careful not to waver.
“Come, come, now.” Cheng motioned for the two to make their way into his private back room. “No fighting out here.” the large mass of people hesitantly walked back to the meeting room; Cheng stopped any bodyguards from entering, only the core people were allowed in. Mara eyed Cheng warily for this, not sure if he was able to trust him or not. Damien was the first to enter, swiftly pulling the door shut behind him. His team was a little more polite than he; waiting a bit before they entered, allowing Mara and Cheng to go before them.
“Why do they get to go in and my bodyguards don’t?” Mara whipped off his sunglasses, showing his obvious disdain.
“Because they are not bodyguards, Mara.” Cheng closed his eyes a smiled gently, being careful not to show his own distaste for the man.
“What? Than what the hell are they? I’ve never seen them before.” Mara flicked his finger over in the general direction of the team, eyeing them up and down.
“It’s no concern of yours.” Damien stared at Mara with malicious intent.
“Damien……lost his previous team, so he acquired a new one, that’s all.” Cheng poured some hot tea for his guests, handing Damien a glass before Mara.
“Don’t tell me you killed your last team?” Mara snickered at Damien, glancing over at the Capo. “That must be it, cause Capo’s still here.” he grunted unpleasantly; he had never liked the Capo much.
“Again, it’s none of your concern.” Damien swigged some of his drink, desperate to stop talking to this man. “So why is it that we’re all here?” he shifted his attention to the amused Cheng.
“We’re here,” Cheng carefully set the pot of tea back on the table. “to discuss our little…..problem.”
